The Senior Spotlight series features interviews with Sibley seniors who have shown commitment to academic excellence and personal achievement. The series will highlight two seniors each week until graduation.

Senior Kallman Parry

SIBLEY SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: KALLMAN PARRYSon of Rhys and Barbara Parry, from St. Paul

With more than 50 athletic and co-curricular offerings, Henry Sibley High School provides a multitude of opportunities for students to engage with their classmates and enhance their academic, social and emotional growth. For many students, including Kallman Parry, co-curricular activities also provide valuable leadership opportunities.

After three years on the boys’ cross country team, Kallman was chosen as a co-captain during his senior year and helped lead the Warriors to a Metro East Conference championship. He also served as Student Council president as a senior, while participating in other activities such as Link Crew, National Honor Society, math team, and track and field.

Each of these experiences, in addition to a personal dedication to service and excellence in the classroom, helped prepare Kallman for admission to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Requiring sponsorship from a sitting U.S. Senator or Representative, admission to a service academy in the United States is notoriously difficult. For Kallman, the application process lasted more than a year, including initial screenings in January 2015 and a Summer Seminar in June 2015. Ultimately, Kallman’s application was sponsored by Congresswoman Betty McCollum and accepted in January 2016.

By gaining admission to the Naval Academy, Kallman is one step closer to his goal of a career dedicated to service.

“I have found that my passions lie in service and leadership and I felt that the United States Naval Academy would provide me with the best opportunity for realizing my full potential in these areas,” said Parry. “I know that it is a place where I will wake up each day confident that I am part of something greater than myself.”

Despite a strong naval tradition in his family, it wasn’t until Kallman was in ninth grade that he decided he wanted to pursue admission into the Naval Academy. Coinciding with the beginning of his high school career, Kallman has spent the past four years working tirelessly in pursuit of the goal.

Kallman has filled his class schedule with rigorous courses – including Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics Mechanics C, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP U.S. History, A.P. Language and Composition, and Advanced World Literature – and excelled in the classroom. He will graduate with a GPA greater than 4.0 and has been named an AP Scholar with Honor. Kallman is also a recipient of the Yale Book Award.

When away from Henry Sibley, Kallman donates his time as a volunteer with Dodge Nature Center, Special Olympics Minnesota and the St. Paul Children’s Hospital. According to Kallman, his time as a volunteer at Children’s has been especially impactful.

“Spending time in a hospital on the non-medical side of things was an important experience to have,” he said. “It provided me with a new perspective on my world and opened my eyes to how fortunate I am to lead the life I do.”

Kallman’s next service opportunity begins at the Naval Academy’s Class of 2020 Induction Day on June 30. After four years as a midshipman, Kallman will be commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy.

District 197: How has Sibley prepared you to succeed after graduation?Kallman: The teachers at Sibley play a fundamental role in working to provide an educational environment that provides ample opportunity to thrive for those students determined to succeed, and for this I am extremely grateful. I have been able to take advantage of challenging courses and extracurricular activities that have all laid a foundation for my development as a student, athlete, and a leader, and I have no doubt that I am prepared to tackle the challenges ahead of me.

Who is your favorite teacher or what is your favorite subject?My favorite teacher at Sibley is Mr. (Erik) Kluznik. Mr. Kluznik has been my running coach over the past four years and has also been my teacher for Pre-calculus, Calculus AB, and Calculus BC. I have immense respect and appreciation for his dedication to us and am extremely grateful for the role he has played in my high school career. Mr. Kluznik has taught me many lessons, the most significant of these being the importance of putting forth my best effort in everything I do, accepting the circumstances as they are, and rising above them with the tenacity and will to succeed.

What’s a memory from your time at Sibley that will always stay with you?I will never forget GOFA at Sibley. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been part of such a remarkable demonstration of compassion and benevolence. Packing meals with Harvest Pack and presenting checks to ALS Therapy Development Institute and the Lufkin family are memories that will stay with me forever. I can't wait to see what GOFA accomplishes next!

What advice do you have for younger students about high school?The best advice I can offer for high school is the importance of dedication and discipline. Find the subjects and extracurricular activities you are passionate about, set your goals, and dedicate yourself to them. You will be most happy when you are involved in the things you care about. Stay disciplined and success will most certainly follow.

Anything else you’d like to share about your time at Sibley?My time at Sibley has been filled with ups and downs, but I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had and the relationships I have built. The path I took was certainly not the one of least resistance, but it has absolutely been worth it. Thank you to all of my teachers, coaches, teammates, and friends for being there every step of the way!